Dealing with Stress as A Medical Student

Medicine is tough. There’s no denying it – the content is challenging, the contact hours can be seemingly never-ending, and the degree itself is one of the longest out there! Add to this the general stresses of university life – relationships, living away from home for the first time, budgeting – and you’d suddenly start to wonder why anyone would choose this degree.

You’re a small fish in a big pond

Getting into Medicine isn’t easy, and the chances are, you were at or near the top of your class for most of high school and sixth form. However, once you get to medical school, everyone is in the same position. On one hand, this serves to create an amazing atmosphere, where everyone is truly passionate about the subject, and wants to be the best they can be. On the other, it can come as quite a shock to be thrown into a room with hundreds of other people who are ‘just like you’.

Take a step back

Try and put your worries into perspective. While you’re sat in your bedroom, struggling to comprehend even the first slide of a lecture handout, knowing that you’ve still got three essays and a literature review due in by the end of that week, Medicine can seem like the worst decision you’ve ever made. But, in reality, panicking about a situation is the worst thing that you can do, and will only exacerbate your stress. Take a few moments to think about the bigger picture – one day, you’ll probably have forgotten you ever even wrote those essays…

Plan your time

All the above being said, it is important to try and avoid being in a situation where you simply don’t have time to finish a piece of work. I’ve made myself a work timetable for the last two years and it’s been an absolute lifesaver. Make sure you’ve written down all your deadlines, and be realistic about how long something is going to take you.

Get enough sleep

It’s easy, especially in first year, to get caught up in the excitement of university life, and to think it’s a good idea to go out every other night. It’s also easy to think that ‘pulling an all-nighter’ is the answer to an essay crisis. However, while late nights tend to come with the territory at university, it’s important to take your health seriously. It’s really not worth making yourself ill through complete exhaustion.

Don’t neglect the rest of your life

I think we’ve established that Medicine is a pretty time-consuming degree. Nevertheless, it’s important to make time for other things: playing a musical instrument, going to hockey practice, simply sitting around with friends. Achieving a work-life balance is one of the hardest things about medical school, but I would argue that it is essential to enjoying your time there.

Talk to people

We’re all in the same boat. Talk your problems through with friends, people in higher years, parents… the chances are, they’ll have been through something similar! And even if they haven’t, an outside opinion can often offer a whole new perspective. If you’re really struggling, there are plenty of resources available – personal tutors and university counselors are trained to deal with situations like yours, and they’ll be honored to offer you advice. You are not alone!

Source:
https://www.themedicportal.com/blog/dealing-with-stress-as-a-medical-student/
http://www.trinitymullicahill.org/sermonaudio/2018/6/10/body-life-youth-sunday-you-are-not-alone

BLOOD BANKING

MUST KNOWS

Blood Banking Must knows is for every Medical students especially for Medical Technologist or Medical laboratory Science students who are struggling to Memorize or to remember certain topics on the said subject.

ABO FORWARD GROUPING/ DIRECT

BLOOD GROUP	ANTIGEN	REACTION WITH ANTI-A (Blue)	REACTION WITH ANTI-B (Yellow)	REACTION WITH ANTI-AB
A	A	+ ( 4+)	- (0)	+
B	B	- (0)	+ (4+)	+
AB	AB	+ (3+)	+ (3+)	+
O	NONE	- (0)	- (0)	-
ANTI-A and ANTI-B reagent are both Monoclonal antibody, Highly specific, IgM

ABO REVERSE GROUPING/ BACK/ INDIRECT/ SERUM TYPING

BLOOD GROUP	ANTIBODY	REACTION WITH A CELLS	REACTION WITH B CELLS
A	ANTI-B	- (0)	+ (2+)
B	ANTI-A	+ (3+)	- (0)
AB	NONE	- (0)	- (0)
O	ANTI-A ANTI-B	+ (4+)	+ (4+)

GRADING OF AGGLUTINATION

GRADE	CELLS	SUPERNATANT
0	NO agglutinates	Dark, Turbid, Homogenous
W+	Many TINY agglutinates Many free cells May not be visible without microscope	Dark, Turbid
1+ (25%)	Many SMALL agglutinates Many free cells	Turbid
2+ (50%)	Many MEDIUM -sized agglutinates Moderate number of free cells	Clear
3+ (75%)	Several LARGE agglutinates Few free cells	Clear
4+ (100%)	One large SOLID agglutinate No free cells	Clear

FORMATION OF ABH ANTIGENS
GENE	GLYCOSYLTRANSFERASE	IMMUNODOMINANT SUGAR	PRECURSOR SUBSTANCE	ANTIGEN
H	L-fucosyltransferase	L-fucose	Precursor substance	H
A	N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase	N-acetyl-D-galactosamine	H	A
B	D-galactosyltransferase	D-galactose	H	B
AB	N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase D-galactosyltransferase	N-acetyl-D-galactosamine D-galactose	H	AB
O	-	-	UNCHANGED H

APPROVED ANTICOAGULANT PRESERVATIVE SOLUTIONS

NAME	ABBREVIATION	STORAGE TIME (DAYS)
Acid Citrate Dextrose (formula A)	ACD-A	21 days
Citrate-Phosphate Dextrose	CPD	21 days
Citrate-Phosphate Double Dextrose	CP2D	21 days
Citrate-Phosphate-Dextrose-Adenine	CPDA-1	35 days
Citrate-Phosphate-Dextrose-Adenine	CPDA-2	42 days

ADDITIVE SOLUTIONS

Additive solutions consist of: SAG M

1.      Saline

2.      Adenine

3.      Glucose

4.      Mannitol – RBC stabilizing Agent

Adsol (AS-1)               ADDS 7 DAYS Nutricel (AS-3)          ADDS 7 DAYS Optisol (AS-5)           ADDS 7 DAYS

42 DAYS

REJUVENATION SOLUTIONS

·         Used in some blood centers to regenerate ATP and 2,3 DPG

·         Red cells stored in the liquid state fewer than 3 days after their outdate are rejuvenated for 1 to 4 hours at 37^OC with the solution

·         PIGPA- Phosphate, inosine, glucose, pyruvate and adenine

·         PIPA- Phosphate, inosine, pyruvate and adenine

·         REJUVESOL – only FDA approved rejuvenation solution in US

BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES OCCURING DURING RED BLOOD CELL STORAGE

Plasma Potassium	INCREASE (POTA na LAC ang HEM)
Lactic acid
Plasma Hemoglobin
pH	DECREASE
ATP
2,3 DPG
Plasma sodium

Blood and blood products are considered drugs because of their use in treating diseases. As with drugs, adverse effects may occur, necessitating careful consideration of therapy. The transfusion of blood cells is also transplantation, in that the cells must survive and function after transfusion to a therapeutic effect.